Protected iron.



Patented '0013. 6, 1908. 2 SHEET-SHEET 1.

J. J. BRADLEY.v

PROTECTED IRON. APPLIoATIoN FILED FEB. 12, 1907. RENBWED MAB. 7, 1908.

J. J. BRADLEY.

` PROTECTED IRUN.

APPLICATION FILED FEB .12, 1907. EENEWED MAE. 7, 1908.

Patented Oct. 6, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEmE.

' JonN L BRADLEY, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AssI'GNoE, BY irEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, To

LILLIAN VON GESSNER,

OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

spleeianaon of Letter. Patent.

Patented Oct. 6, 1908.

pennen akanbgwy is, nm, mm- No. $57,000. imma maar, 190s. snm no. 41ans.

- change a continuous stratum at and just Within the entire surface of an iron article to an alloy or to an` analo ous combination of iron and elemental hy rogen and that the article will in consequence be well protected against what would otherwise be destructive lchemical action. My experiments indicate that the result is still better for Vthe presence of copper also in the alloy. I have devised an pparatus and a method of operating for llect of a separate patent. It will be of serv-l` 1ce to describe such means of roduction as a` art of this specification of t e roduct.

n what I esteem the most compllete development of the invention I add carbon under such conditions that it penetrates to a very little depth at the extreme surface.

The accompanying drawing forms a part of this specification. e

In the figures Figure 1 is a face view of a small iron casting which has been treated according to my invention. 2 is' a cross-section on the line 2 2 in ig.` 1 and Fig. 3 is a cross-section of a ortion of such article on a larver scale. In t is latter figure the allo or changed metalat or near the surface 1s indicated by section lines running in a different direction from the section lines which indicate the body or unchanged p0rtion. The remaining figures show the ap aratus. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section. 5 is a vertical cross-'section of the main portion on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a cross-section of a portion on the same line on a larger scale.

VTheIsuper-heated pipes shown clearly in strong lines in Fig. 5, are indicatedbut faintly by dotted lines 1n Fig. 4, sopas to avoid obscm-ing, what I esteem the preferable arrangement of the liues. p

Sunilarletters of referencel indicate correucing such alloy which is made the sub-y ig.A

spending parts in all the figures where they appean v i v I,

A 1s the bod of an iron casting preferabl of a hard qua ity which requires very hig heat to melt or appreciably soften.

'The metal at and near the surface is changed bythe presence therein of hydrogen and copper. These elements resented at high temperatures are absorbe in small pro ortions and induce a condition in the su ace metal which I will refer to as alloy. It is found that iron can absorb hydrogen until the portion near the surface contains an amount approximating eleven one-hundredths of one percent. of that of the iron. The proportion of the copper, I believe to be considerably less. The copper disap ears mto the solution but I have never etermined the precise rate. It is probabl not essential to success that the copper shal have any specific proportion.

The effect is promoted by treating the whole surface or the portions thereof which are most important to be perfect, by a sandblast or other convenient means for removing the scale. The proportion of hydrogen and copper becomes less and less from the exterior inward,-there is no dividing line. The adhesion of the alloy is as strong as an other part. The allo maintains its ori ina condition for an in enite period. he alloy is less strong than iron and may be inferior to `iron in other respects but it possesses the `highly lmportant quality of extraordinary resistance to oxidatlon or corrosion.

The following gives what I esteem a practicable form of apparatus and the best mode of operation.l

C is the masonry of'a furnace, C1 a door thereof, and D a grate with proper facilities for supplying air and fuel, anthracite or coke will serve.

E is a steam boiler arranged to be heated by the hot gases. discharged from the fur-4 e nace.

' Misa shell' within the furnace C which may be removed at each re-charging if desired but it is not usually necessary to do so.

P is an inclosed crucible of rectangular form and P1 a removable head therefor. The whole or a large part of this vessel-P is lined with copper Q secured by rivets Q1. Similar cop er surfacing may be applied to the she ves to be presently described. The cop- -per should be of considerable thickness, say

lower portion of the crucible are two horizontal perforated partitions P3 and P1, the space between Which is filled or nearly filled with finely divided iron S, preferably iron turnings which present great surface to the steam. In the ottom of the crucible P is a formed with returns, the last return li erally perforated. The receiving end of this pipe extends outward through a proper aperture in the box and is engaged with the trumpetmouthed end F2 of the pipe F1. The steam is led fromthe boiler through a proper reducing valve G so set that it will allow the steam to pass at only about one pound per square inch above atmosphere.

The steam in flowing through the convolutions, F1 become much but not suiliciently super-heated. The heathere is not sufiicient to decompose the steam. The pipe P5 matches in the trum et-mouth F2 and receives the steam and eats it more. I provide the pipe P5 with a lining which reduces the tendency of the oxygen to combine with the iron or steel of this pipe. This lining may be effected at any previous period by first moderately heating and flowing melted borax (biborate of soda) through it and then while the entire inner surface of the pipe is viscous with the borax, blowing finely ulverized re-clay through the pipe and al owing the particles to adhere. This pipe P5 delivers 'the steam very hot into and causes it to pass upward through the mass of finely divided hot iron S above; there the oxygen is absorbed and only the hydrogen of the steam flows up and bathes the articles and is with its fumes of copper which it has received absorbed into all portions of the entire surface of each.

The depth to which the gases shall penetrate and conse uently the thickness of the alloy in the artic es being treated depends on several conditions, one of the most controllable of which is the temperature, which should pipe P1 be a bright cherry red, and another the duration,. -.-a treatment several hours gives a much deeper penetration of the hydrogen and copper than half an hour.

In due time the steam is tem orarily shut off, the door C1 is opened' and t e crucible P with its contents drawn out and removed to any suitable place to be slowly cooled and at length to be opened and emptied. Another crucible P'previously pre ared with a fresh lot of articles to be treate is introduced into the furnace C and the door C1 closed and the work is again resumed. The rfresh crucible P and its contents thus introduced may be previously heated to shorten the time of treatment necessary.

I believe the invention is applicable by about the same 'mode of operation to castiron, drop-forgings, and other forgings, cutiron, (as nails, screws and nuts), sheet-iron of all thicknesses, drawn-iron, (as stamped Work and wire) and all the grades of carbonized iron or steel.

When my improvement is a plied to the manufacture of articles inten ed for decorative pur oses, the shapes should be prepared an entirely completed before the sand-blasting and the other portions of my treatment.

Into each batch after its treatment to form the alloy and before the cooling has progressed far, I introduce na htha or other convenient hydro-carbon. his may be done by connecting to the projecting end of the pipe P5 and injecting in a vaporous form,- if 1t is not vaporous at first it becomes so, of course, before it has entered far into the hot crucible. One effect is to give a fine black to the surface.

I believe that the hydro-carbon is decomposed and while the hydrogen is wasted or possibly adds a trifle more hydrogen'to the already hydrogenized iron articles that the carbon enters usefully though to only a very little de th and is retained.

Modi cations may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of the invention. Parts can be used without the whole. The final treatment with hydro-carbon may be omitted.

Other material than borax and clay may contribute to defend the interior of the iron pipes P5 against such becoming much afected by the ox gen or the hydrogen. All or any defensive ining may be omitted.

The method or process is made the subject of an application for another and separate atent. 1

I c aim as my invention: p

1. A metallic article havin a body of ordinarily pure metal and a su ace of an alloy comprising elemental hydrogen formed integral and adapted to serve substantially as herein specified.

-5 stantiallyas -herein s eci ed.

` 2. Anietallicarticle having abcd of ordicarbon formed integral and ada tedto serve narily pure metal and a surface o an alloy substantially as herein s ecie 10 comprising elemental hydrogen and copper Signed at New York clty this 11th day of formed integral and ada ted to serve sub-y February 1907.

K JOHN J. BRADLEY. 3. A metallic artic e havin a body ofordi- Witnesses: .narily pure metal. and a su ace of an alloy THOMAS DREw-STETSON,

comprising elemental hydrogen, copper and S. H. STODDER. 

